Back from almost a week in Boston, where I went to see and hear Tom Russell’s debut of his new Ballad of the West, The Rose of Roscrae; also to see my 90 year- old mother, whose birthday I had missed, my siblings– 4 of out of 8 of them still live there, as well …
Tag: Not a museum yet
Horned Rifles and other Asian Firearms
Dave at Prick- Eared sent me a link to this story on a village in China , where the inhabitants are allowed at least primitive firearms. In strictly “gun free” China, this makes it a great tourist attraction, a situation something like allowing the Naxi to have their goshawk – based falconry. (As a tourist …
Music Lessons
Q loves rock and country, but Libby and I were brought up on classical and love it too. Both she and Jackson can play well; to my eternal regret I never learned. We liked this essay in defense of obligatory lessons for the young, written in response to one against the idea. “I do think …
The “Damn Chicken Song”
.. and one I first heard in I think 1967 in Cambridge. Tom Russell and Ian Tyson in Santa Fe April 17! “All the years are… gambled and lost, like summer wages.”
The Real Indy
Paleoblog reminds us that it is Roy Chapman Andrews’ birthday. (HT Walter Hingley, once again). Naturalist, intrepid explorer, bone digger, hunter (he shot a Mannlicher- Schonauer 1903 carbine like mine, Savage Model 99’s, and Savage bolt actions in .250- 3000), writer, self- promoter, and sometime director of the American Museum of Natural History, he was …
Returning to Service
Mostly polishing off, with endless revisions, the Book O’ Books, done for months but still being tweaked, also endless Good- But- Endless visitors, end of holiday and other serious food, arthritis and steroids and two major dog operations and too much to drink, and far too little to chase… Any weariness in these lines is …
Teaser
The Hansons are back from their Egyptian expedition with the Explorers Club flag– and will (both Roseann and Jonathan I hope) be writing something here. Sample: “It was fantastic. Probably the most challenging driving I’ve had over such an extended journey. Many difficult climbs to cross dune chains, then 60mph blasts across huge rolling sand …
Tamgaly Rock Art
Whether because of (quite plausible) shared ancestry or (more I would think) the “Darwinian” demands of environment, climate, and materials, both rock art and vernacular architecture resemble each other in central Asia and the dry west. Compare Reid’s images below to these from Tamgaly, in the dry steppes a couple of hours north of Almaty …
Wild East
Here are a few irresistible photos from Lib’s friend Jeff Foott, who we saw in Wyoming and who just returned from our old haunts in Western Mongolia. The third is just nice and speaks for itself. What I love about the other two is the way the Wild East partakes of all technologies from the …
Possible answer to post below?
Lauren at 17 in Olgii with AralbaiAt 25 on her Fulbright:With Aralbai, classic Kazakh cowboy, and his new eagle just before her return.Sooner or later we will get Peculiar to get some of his “Mongolia expedition staff at 17” photos too…